The most helpful favourable review

The most helpful critical review

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent but the fourth disc is not the good one!
This box set is just fantastic : it reminded me my youth and some nightmares. But I had to return it twice to Amazon because the fourth disc (Disc #4, Side A and Side B), which is supposed to be different from the other ones, is the same than the second one (Disc #2, Side A and Side B)! A mistake from the manufacturer? Don't order it before being sure that the problem...

3.0 out of 5 starsI am happy to have purchased the series
So far I have watched all of Volume 1 and part of Volume 2. I am happy to have purchased the series. I wish they could have colorized them but black and white is ok. Most of the episodes have been interesting that I have watched. I just hope I can finish the rest of the volumes. The main problem is the lack of action but since it took me almost one year to get this set, I...

This review is from: The Outer Limits: The Complete Original Series (DVD)

This box set is just fantastic : it reminded me my youth and some nightmares. But I had to return it twice to Amazon because the fourth disc (Disc #4, Side A and Side B), which is supposed to be different from the other ones, is the same than the second one (Disc #2, Side A and Side B)! A mistake from the manufacturer? Don't order it before being sure that the problem has been solved!

This review is from: The Outer Limits: The Complete Original Series (DVD)

This is my second review in as many that has given a zero to the poor packaging and contents and higher marks to the show itself.Let's take a look at the show first and then we'll take a look at the rest.This is one of the top Sci-Fi shows ever to appear on television.Created by Leslie Stevens and Joe Stefano the show made its' premiere in Sept. of 1963 and WHAT a premiere it was."The Galaxy Being" certainly scared the living begeesus out of me and I will never forget that.The whole look and feel was totally different and it definitely was not The Twilight Zone but a deep and darker version of it.Nothing that intense had been seen on TV before and nothing would equal it's impact for many years.The show was directly helmed by the team of Stefano and Stevens with Dominic Frontieres' great scoring in the background through all of season one.When Season two arrived all three had departed and were replaced by others.The format underwent minor changes but it basically stayed true to its' roots.The entire story is detailed wonderfully in the "Outer Limits Companion" by David Schow and Jeff Frentzen.Some prefer one season over the other but there is much to recommend both.Season one has its' "Galaxy Being","The Zanti Misfits","Second Chance" ,"Production and Decay of Strange Particles" and "A Feasibility Study".Season Two "The Inheritors-Parts 1&2","Keeper of the Purple Twilight" and one of the entire series top eps "The Demon with the Glass Hand".The series is filled with many well known actors like Cliff Robertson,Ted Knight,Robert Culp,Ed Asner,Eddie Albert,Robert Duvall and so many more.There is also a huge Star Trek connection as William Shatner,Leonard Nimoy and James Doohan would all make appearances,along with many of the future shows supporting actors.The ep "Production and Decay..." contains at least five future Trek actors at once,including Leonard Nimoy!The show never had a big budget and many of the shows today look dated as a result but in quite a few like "Demon...",the props are totally minimal and it is the great script,direction and acting that more than compensate for any shortcomings in the special effects department.That the show could do so much with so little at times,is a testament to the skill of everyone involved.It is so unfortunate it only lasted two short seasons as the show should have gone many more.As one ep in the first season states:"Maybe young people are the only ones who listen and understand-you can't reach a closed mind".And so it was,as the almighty ratings beast dictated to the head network honchos just how they ought to proceed with shows;promising or not.The biggest shows' fans were the younger gen of the time who did write in frequently praising the show but it was the adults in the end who controlled the decision making of what to watch and they weren't generally impressed with the show;at least not enough for ABC to continue with it.To top this,in the second season it was put up against the ever popular(among the entire family) Jackie Gleason Show;and Gleason wasn't going anywhere.The show may have been cancelled but it has continued in syndication ever since staying in the collective memories of those who first saw it and gaining new fans along the way.Now let's look at the presentation.The one thing positive about this new set is the price.The original release about eight years ago broke the series into two release sets and both at the same price(at least $10 higher than this set per season!).Everything else goes down hill from here.MGM has decided in their "wisdom" to re-release this set again in the double sided disc format.BAD choice,period.As I stated in my other recent review Universal and MGM(among others) have a fondness for this type of release;it is cheap and yields the greastest profit.DVDs are notoriously scuff and scratch prone and that alone should preclude any such release of this type if these companies actually cared about the product and consumers.The second thing about this "new" set is...that it isn't.I do not see any difference in the transfer of this product onto DVD from the original release sets."A Feasibility Study" was particlularly grainy in the first release and it remains so in this one and all other eps with any excesses in this area are also the same.So the question presents itself:"Why?".Why would MGM not remaster these eps like they should be,after all this time?I can certainly recommend the series itself as a groundbreaking one of its' day,as many of the eps still hold up very well,despite the budgetary restrictions.But it gets a zero as far as release presentation goes.It certainly is cheaper than the original release sets but it is just a simple re-packaging of the material on hand.Shame on MGM.

This review is from: The Outer Limits: The Complete Original Series (DVD)

I ordered the complete three season set of the Original Outer Limits for a friend of mine for Christmas. It only took a week to reach me which I thought was amazing for this time of year. ( Christmas Rush ). Only one little concern; During the previous reviews of this set it was stated that disc #4 side 2 was the same as Disc #2 Side-2. This happened on a couple of orders awhile back so hope that the company that makes this set has fixed the glitch. I won't know til my friend watches the whole set.

This review is from: The Outer Limits: The Complete Original Series (DVD)

I think its fair to say that about a third of these episodes are really good, a third of the episodes are average and a third of the episodes are below average/boring/bad.

But i never said they're not worth watching, the narrator commentator is exactly right when he talks about the lack of natural resources on earth and the lack of love in the world, and belive me he mentions this many times.Another interesting aspect of this show is the cast, there are so many familiar faces here, you'll be beside youself saying OH MY GOD !!!

I found a lot of the episodes were slow because my mind is conditioned by these current fast paced times and not the early sixties so lucky for me my PS3 has the 1.5 button to speed things up.

I'm not going to go into great detail about this series but its worth watching, maybe even if its only for a historical point of view of the early sixties themselves or science fiction itself4 STARS

This review is from: The Outer Limits: The Complete Original Series (DVD)

When this box set finally came out ( I had been waiting for over 20 years for the technology to catch up ), I hadto add it to my library of THE most classic film/TV productions ever made. Although the modern redux of the series had some memorable episodes, nothing of its time came close to the inspired writing, innovative cinematography,haunting musical score and break-through performances of the Original Outer Limits, originally to be titled..."Please Stand By". Often mistaken for other programs of the period ( specifically "The Twilight Zone" ), many episodes were sopsychologically effective that they remain imbedded in the subconscious mind of the viewer, resurfacing laterduring waking flashbacks or sweaty nightmares. For a television series from the sixties to have such a profoundinfluence on its viewers lead one to conclude one thing for certain...THEY really were in control! A must for OL fans and for those who appreciate Sci-Fi in its purest and eloquent expression.

This review is from: The Outer Limits: The Complete Original Series (DVD)

So far I have watched all of Volume 1 and part of Volume 2. I am happy to have purchased the series. I wish they could have colorized them but black and white is ok. Most of the episodes have been interesting that I have watched. I just hope I can finish the rest of the volumes. The main problem is the lack of action but since it took me almost one year to get this set, I will sit through them all.

This review is from: The Outer Limits: The Complete Original Series (DVD)

For those of us who were kids watching these episodes with our families we might have been told to leave the room "we were too young"!!! Now as a Adult viewing them I can see why I was sent to my room. I must have asked too many questions durying the show. I can enjoy them now with a diffrent more mature perspective.Yes they are a far cry from today's Computer generated special effects and you might even giggle at some of the mechanical effects but the story line in most of them hits true in most cases.And you'll be surprised at how many charcters you will reconginize. My only complaint as usally is the price. Beyound that turn your lights down get some popcorn and enjoy.

This review is from: The Outer Limits: The Complete Original Series (DVD)

This review pertains to the format and packaging of this set rather than the contents of the disc. If you're looking at this page, you likely are familiar with the series and further elaboration is thus unwarranted.

The DVDs are dual sided discs, which is rarely a promising sign of quality. My first order contained a very badly scratched disc, which was promptly replaced by Amazon. The second set I received was in better condition, but this sort of disc integrity issue is far too common with dual sided releases. Check your discs carefully upon receipt.

Additionally, there appears to be two versions of this set. The first package contains inaccurate details for season 2, mislabelling the episode order and disc layout. The second package, which appears newer, correctly lists the episode order and number of discs.

The transfers are passable, but do not appear to be remastered. For the most part, the picture and sound are both clear, yet nowhere near the quality of the recent Twilight Zone releases. There is no supplementary content in this collection.

This collection is certainly worth the purchase if you enjoy classic SF, just don't go in expecting anything particularly special in the presentation of this collection.

This review is from: The Outer Limits: The Complete Original Series (DVD)

Having a weakness for old bad movies and TV programs, I couldn't resist buying this set for under 15 dollars. The drawback to the original Outer Limits episodes is that they should have been a half hour long. "So bad they're funny" really only works if the show doesn't drag on and on in order to fill up a time slot. Eventually, making it through the whole set becomes a test of endurance. The horrible acting and the wide variety of cheesy monsters is amusing at times, but overall the shows are just bad.